England will be without captain Owen Farell for the 2024 Six Nations after he made himself unavailable “in order to prioritise his and his family’s mental wellbeing”.

With several key players announcing their international retirements, including Courtney Lawes, wing Jonny May and scrum-half Ben Youngs, Steve Borthwick has a rebuilding job on his hands following England’s third-place finish at the 2023 World Cup.

Six Nations Grand Slam-holders Ireland will be hoping to retain their crown, but they must do so without their fly-half and captain Johnny Sexton, as well as winger Keith Earls, who both retired at the end of the World Cup.

They face stiff competition from France, whose dreams of home World Cup glory were dashed by eventual champions South Africa in the quarter-final, and Scotland, who were unable to overcome either Ireland or South Africa to make it out of their pool.

Wales too will have a point to prove after losing out in the World Cup quarter-finals to Argentina, while Italy will hope to bounce back having failed to make it out of their pool and been blown away by finalists New Zealand.

When is the 2024 Six Nations?

The 2024 Six Nations gets under way on Feb 2, 2024 at 8pm (UK time) as France host champions Ireland.

The last time either team stepped on to the field at the Stade de France was for the World Cup quarter-finals in October, when they were knocked out of the tournament on successive nights.

Ireland’s travelling supporters were among the loudest at the the global showpiece with fans and players alike belting out the lyrics to The Cranberries’ Zombie after every win. Expect more of the same during the Six Nations.

England kick-off their tournament against Italy at 2.15pm (UK time) on Feb 3, 2024. Borthwick’s side will be hoping to improve on their previous showing at the Six Nations after finishing fourth in the standings with 10 points, 17 points behind the winners, Ireland.

How to watch the 2024 Six Nations on TV

Fixtures this year will continue to be shown on both BBC and ITV in the UK. Live streams will be available for free on the BBC iPlayer and ITVX apps, and will be available to download on mobile or tablet devices.

The long-term future of the Six Nations on free-to-air TV is uncertain after the government rejected calls to add the tournament to the list of sporting events that must be shown for free.

Who are the referees?

Karl Dickson will referee next year’s Six Nations opener which pits the 2023 Grand Slam winners Ireland against the 2022 champions France.

Eight assistant referees will be making their Six Nations debut including Scotland’s Hollie Davidson.

Read the full list of referee appointments here.

2024 Six Nations fixtures in full

All times GMT

Round one

Friday, February 2: France v Ireland,

• Kick-off: 8pm

• Venue: Oranage Velodrome, Marseille

• Referee: Karl Dickinson (ENG)

Saturday, February 3: Italy v England

• Kick-off : 2.15pm

• Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome

• Referee: Paul Williams (NZ)

Saturday February 3: Wales v Scotland

• Kick-off: 4.45pm

• Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff

• Referee: Ben O’Keefe (NZ)

Round two

Saturday, February 10: Scotland v France

• Kick-off: 2.15pm

• Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh

• Referee: Nic Berry (Aus)

Saturday, February 10: England v Wales

• Kick-off: 4.45pm

• Venue: Twickenham Stadium, London

• Referee: James Doleman (NZ)

Sunday, February 11: Ireland v Italy

• Kick-off: 3pm

• Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin

• Referee: Pierrre Brousset (Fra)

Round three

Saturday, February 24: Ireland v Wales

• Kick-off: 2.15pm

• Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin

• Referee: Andrea Piardi (Ita)

Saturday, February 24: Scotland v England

• Kick-off: 4.45pm

• Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh

• Referee: Andrew Brace (Ire)

Sunday, February 25: France v Italy

• Kick-off: 3pm

• Venue: Decathlon Arena, Lille

• Referee: Christophe Ridley (ENG)

Round four

Saturday, March 9: Italy v Scotland

• Kick-off: 2.15pm

• Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome

• Referee: Jaco Peyper (SA)

Saturday, March 9: England v Ireland

• Kick-off: 4.45pm

• Venue: Twickenham Stadium, Cardiff

• Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Geo)

Sunday, March 10: Wales v France

• Kick-off: 3pm

• Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff

• Referee: Luke Pearce (ENG)

Round five

Saturday March 16: Wales v Italy,

• Kick-off: 2.15pm

• Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff

• Referee: Mathieu Raynal (Fra)

Saturday, March 16: Ireland v Scotland

• Kick-off: 4.45pm

• Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin

• Referee: Matthew Carley (ENG)

Saturday, March 16: France v England

• Kick-off: 8pm

• Venue: Groupama Stadium, Lyon

• Referee: Angus Gardner (Aus)

Who are the favourites to win the 2024 Six Nations?

Ireland and France are the bookies’ favourites, with England a little way behind. Scotland, Wales and Italy are not much favoured

• France to win: 6/5

• Ireland to win: 6/4

• England to win: 11/2

• Scotland to win: 14/1

• Wales to win: 25/1

• Italy to win: 500/1

Odds correct on December 6, 2023